North Korea launched two "unidentified ballistic missiles" on Sunday (December 18th), the South Korean military reported.

The shots were fired "toward [the] East Sea", also known as the Sea of ​​Japan, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul. 

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected ballistic missiles fired from the Tongchang-ri area of ​​North Pyongan province in the northeast between 11:13 a.m. (02:13 GMT) and 12:05 p.m. (03:05 GMT).

“Our military has heightened surveillance and vigilance while cooperating closely with the United States and maintaining full readiness,” the staff added in a statement.

The missiles flew a distance of about 500 km, reaching a maximum altitude of some 550 km, according to the Japanese Ministry of Defense.

"It threatens the peace and security of our country, this region and the international community, and it is absolutely unacceptable," Japanese Deputy Defense Minister Toshiro Ino said.

>> Cruise, ballistic, intercontinental… Which missiles are we talking about?

Towards a new weapon system?

The launch comes as North Korea announced on Friday that it had tested a "high-thrust solid-fuel engine", which its state media KCNA called an important test "for the development of a strategic weapons system for 'a new kind'.

Despite heavy international sanctions weighing on its weapons programs, Pyongyang has built up an arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

All of its ICBMs, however, are liquid fueled.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un considers the development of solid-fuel engines to manufacture more advanced missiles a strategic priority.

Kim Jong-un claimed in 2022 that he wanted North Korea to have the most powerful nuclear force in the world, and declared his country's status as a nuclear state "irreversible".

Among its goals unveiled in 2021 is the development of solid-fuel ICBMs that could be launched from land or from submarines.

The engine test announced on Friday was a step towards achieving this goal, but experts do not know at what stage North Korea is in developing such missiles.

Pyongyang has conducted a record series of weapons tests this year, including its most advanced ICBM.

The United States and South Korea have been warning for months that North Korea may be planning what would be its seventh nuclear test in its history and the first in five years.

North Korea has been under multiple United Nations Security Council sanctions over its nuclear and missile program since 2006.

With AFP

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